Car-wheel



i (No Model.)

J. T. BRIDGES.

GAR WHEEL.

m r. w a W y d in L w .I s kkmyda Patented Jan. 12, 1892.

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WE STATES JAMES T. BRIDGES, OF IIAGERSTOYVN, MARYLAND.

CAR-=WH EEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 466,988, dated January12, 1892. Application filed september 14,1891. SerialNo, 405,603.(NomodeL) To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1-, JAMES T. Bnrncns, a citizen of theUnitedStates,residing at Hagerstown, in the county of Washington and State ofMaryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inGar-Wheels; andl do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in car-wheels; and it has for itsobject to provide the wheels with means for insuring an easier carriageor movement of the car-axle and body and to relieve the parts in a greatmeasure of the usual jarring and j olting when the train is in motion.

With these and other ends in view my in vention consists of a wheelhaving the usual tread and the flat inner side and a chamber within thetread which is closed by a removable face-plate rigidly secured in anannular seat formed on the inner side of the treadat the outer edgethereof. Within this chamber is arranged a spider frame or casting whichforms a bearing for the axle, and the spider fits snugly between theintegral side and the removable face-plate of the wheel, said spiderbeing provided with an opening to receive the axle, on which the spideris shrunk. Openings are also provided in the inner side and removableplate, and they are of greater diameter than the opening in the castingto permit of yielding movement of the spider-frame on the axle. Theradial arms of the spider-frame are of sufticient length to receive theinner ends of coiled springs and to permit the requisite play of thecasting which forms the bearing for the axle. To retain the springs inproper position, they are preferably fitted in recesses on the innerside of the tread on the wheel, and their inner ends bear againstshoulders on the radial arms of the spider-frame.

My invention further consists of certain details of construction andarrangement of parts, as will more fully appear hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure I is an elevation of the inner sideof the wheel. Fig. II is a similar view of the outer side. Fig. III isan elevation of the wheel with the plate on the inner side thereofremoved to show the interior arrangement. Fig. IV is a sectional viewtaken on the line 00 0c of Fig. II, and Fig. V is a detail view of thecasting which forms the bearing. I

Like letters of reference denote corresponding parts in all the figuresof the drawings.

The wheel is provided with the usual tread A and the flange a. On theinner side is a flat plate a, which extends in a vertical direction atright angles to the tread of the wheel and forms the inner side of thewheel.

A chamber B is formed within the wheel, the tread being formedcomparatively thin, and a removable plate 0 is arranged to fit snuglyagainst a shoulder 12 formed on the inner side of the tread, just out ofline of the flange a, to close the chamber. This plate is flush with theedges of the wheel and forms a continuation of the flange, and it issecured rigidly in place against the shoulder baby bolts Z), whichextend across the wheel and are screwed into the inner side ct, or theymay pass entirely through said inner side and be secured bynuts, asdesired. The sides of the wheel are parallel to each other, and arepreferably arranged to lie flush with the edges of the tread and flangeto present the contour and shape of an ordinary wheel and make it moredurable and capable of sustaining heavy loads.

Within the chamber B is placed a spiderframe D, which forms a bearingfor the journal of the axle. This spider-frame is constructed with aseries of radial arms 01 d, which extend in various directions from theenlarged hub cl. These arms are each provided, preferably, withshoulders E at or near their point of juncture to the hub, and ajournalbearing e is made in the center of the hub to receive the journalof the axle. Openings 9 e are also provided in the removable plate 0 andthe inner side a and these openings are of greater diameter than theopening in the casting to permit the axle and the'casting to have alimited movement. The axlejournal 0 is arranged to fit snugly within theopening 6 in the casting, and as the openings 6 e are of greaterdiameter than the axle the latter mayhave a limited movement within thewheel while in motion, which will re lieve the car from the customaryjarring.

On the projecting ends of the radial arms (Z the springs F are fitted,and they bear against the shoulders E thereon. These springs arepreferably made of coiled steel; but it is obvious that other forms ofsprings may be used with equally good results, and the tread may be madethicker or thinner to vary the size of the springs, as desired. Thesprings extend across the wheel to the inner side of the tread, and theouter ends may be seated or fitted in recesses f, formed in the tread,as shown in Fig. IV. This construction or arrangement of parts retainsthe casting and springs in their proper relative positions and permitsthe casting or hearing to have the desired movement within the wheel, itbeing arranged to fit snuglybetween the two sides of the wheel and slideeasily in this position. spring, and it passes through the outer endthereof and serves to hold the springin place and at the same time boltthe Wheel together.

The construction and operation of my improved wheel may be readilyunderstood from the foregoing description taken in'connection with thedrawings. In railway-cars and other heavy vehicles the jarring andjolting usual in fast traveling are often very destructive to thearticles transported, and are very disagreeable to passengers; but a carprovided with wheels as herein described will be relieved of thisconstant jar and jolt, as the springs intermediate of the tread of thewheel and aXle serve to prevent any undue motion being communicated inthis direction to the car.

\Vhile this wheel is designed specially as a car-wheel to be madeentirely of metal, I may also adapt it for many other vehicles by slightchanges in the form and construction, as for traction-engines, whichrequire heavy wheels. The number of radial arms on the yieldingspider-frame may be increased or diminished, as proves more desirable.

Although I prefer to construct my improved A bolt b is provided for eachwheel substantially as herein shown and described, still I am aware thatchanges in the form and proportion of parts and details of constructioncan be made without departing from the spirit or sacrificing the advantages of my invention, and I therefore reserve the rightto make suchchanges as fall within the scope of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A wheel having the tread, a chamber formed within the same, theremovable plate, and the spring-supported spider forming a bearing forthe journal and arranged in said chamber, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

2. A wheel having the straight inner side and the removable plateforming the outer side and arranged relatively to each other to form achamber within the Wheel, the spiderframe having the radial arms withinsaid chamber, and the springs on said arms, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

A wheel having the chamber formed therein, the spider-frame arrangedwithin said chamber and having a series of radial arms, and the springsfitted on said arms and having their other ends seated in recesses inthe wheel, substantially as described.

4. A wheel having the straight inner side and the removable plateforming a chamber within the same, the spring-supported spider Withinsaid chamber and having the journalbearing, and the openings in theinner side and removable plate, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES T. BRIDGES. Witnesses:

HENRY E. COOPER, WILLIAM O. BELT.

